City commissioners voted to reject a proposal Monday night that would have required homeowners along a portion of South Washington Street to pay for pedestrian lighting.

Homeowners, mostly landlords, between Bellows and High streets were frustrated with the lack of pedestrian lighting and circulated a petition, gaining the signatures of 84 percent of property owners.

They offered to pay for lighting on their own, City Manager Kathie Grinzinger said, which could be done through a special assessment process.

“The commission has considered this request over two previous meetings and has passed four resolutions that have moved the process along,” she said.

Commissioners needed to approve a fifth resolution Monday night to approve the roll and set payment terms for the special assessment district.

Ultimately, commissioners rejected the original resolution, and voted to redefine the district.

Chuck and Wendy Allen, owners of C&W Investments, own and rent out a property at 804 S. Washington Street, making between $300 and $400 a month from renters.

At the previous public hearing about the issue, the Allens said they had never been contacted by a petition-holder, and were unaware about their inclusion into the special assessment district.

They returned Monday night to voice their concerns, again, about the cost that would be thrust upon them.

Each of the 14 homeowners would pay a portion of the entire project’s estimated $150,000 cost over a period of a few years, and Wendy Allen said that the payment — which she estimated costing between $120 and $200 a month depending on the length of the payment plan — would place a financial burden on her family.

“That’s not to say that we don’t support it, what the city has done is tremendous,” Chuck Allen said. “I just think financially, the timing is not right for us.”

Chuck Allen suggested amending the special district to exclude the 800 block his rental is located on, and only include the 900 and 1,000 blocks, all of which house consenting property owners.

Commissioners ultimately agreed with a 5-to-1 vote. Commissioner Jon Joslin was absent and commissioner Matt Sous was the dissenting vote.

“I ... don’t feel that the folks in the 800-block should necessarily be dragged along, and have this special assessment placed on their tax rolls,” Vice Mayor Sharon Tilmann said. “I would support reconfiguring that district to the 900- and the 1,000-block and leaving out the 800-block. I think that’s in fairness to the folks that live there.”

Commissioner Sous dissented, saying that he wanted to have the lighting installed before students return to Mt. Pleasant for Central Michigan University’s fall semester.

Grinzinger said she did not know if reconfiguring the district would push back the installation date of the light fixtures.

“I would much rather have the lights this fall than wait a whole nother year for the lights,” he said.

Sous said he would have been OK with spacing out the tax roll payments to a seven-year period with a 1-percent interest rate instead.

Randi Shaffer is a reporter at the Morning Sun. She can be reached at 989-779-6059, rshaffer@michigannewspapers.com or on Facebook at facebook.com/randi.shaffer.